Friend of Science to Lead House Committee

A conservative republican, and supporter of research, will be the chair of the House appropriations committee that controls the budgets for the National Institutes of Health.

By Edyta Zielinska | January 9, 2013

JACK KINGSTONWIKIMEDIA, US CONGRESSRepresentative Jack Kingston, a republican from Georgia, is slated to be the new leader of the House committee that oversees budget decisions for major US science funding agencies. Dubbed the most conservative member of the House by National Journal, he is nonetheless seen as by many in the scientific community as a strong proponent of research.

“We are looking forward to working with him,” Mary Woolley, president of the advocacy group Research!America, told ScienceInsider. "He has made clear his support for breast cancer funding and for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He's the kind of person who gets the job done."

Although Kingston is known for being skeptical about the human contribution to climate change and Darwin’s theory of evolution, he has a track record of obtaining earmarks for his home state in support of research jobs. “He really wants to identify priorities and let the subcommittee members work their will,” Kingston’s spokesperson Chris Crawford told ScienceInsider. “There will be a lot of hearings with a lot of questions.”

Agreed with both Mike and Mary. I am particularly skeptical of someone who uses the earmark process to hand-pick items that they individually think is valuable. I'd much rather see all science funding subjected to peer-review.